Well…that went fast! Summer is pretty much over in my book, considering that it is officially August. So what better way to mourn celebrate the start of a new school year than with a round up of posts on classroom setup?!?!
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I really do love the beginning of a new year because I love getting to setup a new classroom. Even if it’s the same classroom. For me, it is always fun to organize, plan, layout, and make changes from the year before.
As fun as buying all that cutesy organizational stuff is, setting up a classroom can be really stressful with all that has to get done before Meet the Teacher Night and the First Day of School! I always try to go into the year with a plan in mind. I would encourage you to come up with a classroom setup plan before ever stepping foot in your classroom.
Classroom Setup Plan
This year I am moving to a different room so I decided to revamp my room and update it a bit. Here are the steps I am currently working through to make that a reality!
Classroom Layout
I am a very visual person so I like to use graph paper and cut out pieces of furniture to move around. It isn’t always to scale, but it at least allows me to move things around and get a visual of what my room will look and feel like. Then once I have an idea of how I want to layout my room, I take a picture of it so that I can remember when I get into the classroom.
Decide on a Theme
Next, I decide on a theme I want to go with. The past five years I have had blue and green everything. An of course my lions! I plan on keeping the lions but sticking to an even calmer color pallet by using blues and grays in my room.
(Mainly just because I want to keep taking a picture with my lions each year!)
I am over the green fabric backgrounds with blue border (pictured below). This year I want to go for a softer blue color. ***I always buy fabric because it last WAY longer and doesn’t fade!***
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List Materials and Furniture to Buy
Typically, I don’t like spending much money on my classroom. But I do spend a good portion of my time there so I decided to set apart some money this year to update my fabric (for bulletin boards), borders, baskets, and furniture.
As I was taking down my classroom and selling things, I created a list on my phone of things I need to buy for this upcoming year. Like, new baskets.
These are my favorite! I already bought them in gray!
A new rug is also on my list of things for my room. I am thinking this one maybe??? I like that it is simple and doesn’t draw too much attention to it.
Listing items out ahead of time allows me to budget for my purchases and spread them out over the summer. It also keeps me accountable because I am easily tempted by organization baskets!
Classroom Setup Round Up
Those are the steps I took. But I also decided to scour the web (and my blog) to find eight blog posts for you. These posts are on different aspects of classroom setup that I think are great! Everything on here is something I have either written myself or followed the bloggers long enough to know they are legit!
Check them out, pin them, and make your plan!!!
First Year Teacher: Setting Up a Classroom– Steps on how to layout, organize, and setup your classroom.
A classroom tour that is TO DIE FOR! It is so organized and colorful, but not overwhelming!
Setting Up a Classroom Library– This post is full of ideas and steps on how to setup your library and have your students assist you with organizing it!
Math and Literacy Station Organization- Stations get me EVERY year! Here are some great ways to organize your stations and manage your materials.
Beach Room Transformation– This summer I went to the Get Your Teach On Conference and sat in many sessions with Hope King. My biggest take away from that conference was to create engagement by doing room transformations.
Cabinet Organization– Your classroom can look as neat and tidy but if your cabinets are a mess, your classroom soon will be too!
Math Sponge Activity Organization– I am SO bad about creating meaningful sponge activities for my kids. I love how Amy is using different math stations for her students to refine their math skills when they are done with their work.
Classroom Engagement and BOY Activities packets- These are not blogs on how to setup your classroom, per say, but they are great resources to prep for the upcoming year!
Remember that starting with a plan will always give you clear direction and help you to manage your time more effectively.
Until next time,
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